The Louisiana Democrat., 1887-06-15
FLATTERING FIGURES.

! FLATTERING FIGURES.
An Immense Improvement Over the Re-
publican Pension Policy.
The following comparative statement
OF the work of the Pension Bureau dur
ing the last two years of the Republic
an rule and the first two years of the
Democratic Administration speaks vol
umes. The records of the Government
are, OF course, kept by fiscal years, the
appropriations being made by Congress
in that manner:
In the year ending June so, 1883,
under the administration of w. w. Dud-
ley, there were 52,279 pension certifi-
Gates issued, of which number SO, 161
were original cases, and the remainder
increase and miscellaneous claims.
For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1854, the total number of certificates
issued was Sc, 729, of which "a, 1870 were
original. and the remainder increase
and miscellaneous cases. In the next
tscal year, up to the 18th of March,
1855, when the present Commissioner
entered upon the duties of his Office,
there were 39,154 certificates of all
kinds issued. From March II up to
June 80 OF the same year, a period of
only two months and half, there
were issued 81, 1852 pension certificates.
The fiscal year ending June 80,
1886, made a splendid showing for
the new administration, there hay
ing been issued 1864 pension
certificates, 40,S52 OF which were
original cases. In that same fiscal
year of 1886 there were also is
sued 79,oS5 supplemental certificates
to widows and dependent relatives
whose pension had been increased by
the act of March 10, 1864 grand
total for that one year of 159, ,643 allow
ances. These supplemental certificates
were issued within a very few months
after the passage of the law, the Com
missioner OF Pensions having person.
sonally directed how the work should
be done. At no time in the history of
the Office has such an enormous num-
Der OF pensions been increased without
interference with the regular work of
the office, or without call upon Con-
gress for additional help. From the
lst OF July, 1886, up to and including
the 30th of April, 1887, there were a.
6O8 certificates issued, of which 1882
were original cases.
There is yet remaining one month
of the present fiscal year, and the re-
suit will be a magnificent showing,
greater by far than any previous year
in the history of the Office 1t should
be borne in mind that this immense
amount OF work has been performed
with reduction of the clerical force
of over 100. With the administration
OF the present Commissioner a new era
was inaugurated in the Pension Bureau.
He determined to conduct the Office
upon strict business principles, and re-
quired that the entire time of the
clerical force during Office hours should
be devoted to the consideration and
transaction of the public business, and
the settlement of long delayed pension
claims. As one result of this regula-
tion the fiscal year exhibited saving
in the matter of leaves of absence Of
1864 days of the aggregate time of
the clerical force, or forty-two years,
eleven months and four days of the
time of a single clerk.
In the year of 1886 the present Com
missioner turned over to the treasury
one hundred thousand dollars ($1OO,- |
0o0O of unexpended appropriations on |
account of the hire of clerical force, and |
he effected saving in the same year
in the item of stationery of over
thirteen thousand dollars (13,OOO)-|
this notwithstanding the fact that the
business Of the bureau has been very
largely increased.
1t was formerly the practice that
when pension claim had been neg
lected-that is, when the claimant or
his attorney had failed to call up the
case for a certain length of time, to
mark the case abandoned" and con-
slider it in about the same light as re-
jected case. The Commissioner re-
versed this unjust practice, and re-
quired of his chiefs that all claims
should be given chance of being con-
sidered and finally adjudicated. Every
case filed during his administration
has received prompt attention, and his
order that all cases filed prior to his
entry into Office should be examined
before the lst of June has already been
fully complied with, and there is not a
single case in the pending files of the
off ce which has not been examined, and
in which steps have not been taken to-
ward It's final settlement. To illustrate
the enormous increase in the business
Of the Pension Bureau, during the
month of March. 1884, there were re-
ceived 159, pieces of mail matter,
and there We're sent out from the Office
al, 1898 circulars and letters. In the
month of March, 1887, there were re-
,eived 287,263 pieces of mail mat
ter, and there were stem out from
he office 1884, letters and circu-
ars.
The following table will show the
number of pensl,n certificates issued
Turing the fiscal ys.srs ending June 80,